


nebulous

by appleofmyrye



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, First Kiss, Goodbyes, Kissing, M/M, Panic, Pining, Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Promises, and infinity war hurt like a bitch, anyway I love ragnarok, did I take somebody liberties with the timing? Of course, like hella ngl, mentions of Star Trek, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-05-10 01:30:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14727404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/appleofmyrye/pseuds/appleofmyrye
Summary: This is it. This is all he’s going to get. There could be so much more but instead they’re being attacked in space by a madman with no knowledge of ecology.





	nebulous

Bruce wakes up in a room that he does not recognize. 

(The last thing he remembers is jumping out of ship - the woman (Valkryie??) and the crazy planet with the people holding a parade for the Hulk. Thor was there too.

He’s not sure if that’s really what happened or if that was a fever dream.)

There are sounds of running outside, and some intermittent screams. Something is evidently wrong.

Nothing is more evident than this than when Thor flings the door open, mutters “not good”, grabs him by the wrist and begins dragging him down the hallway.

Outside of the room is worse than inside the room - asgardians run by, screaming, and there are flashes of light farther up the hall.

“What’s going on?”

“You need to go now.” Bruce is essentially being dragged down the hallway away from the suspicious activity.

“What? Where?”

“Escape pods. Back of the ship.” Something crashes in the background, and Thor looks back. “We’re going now.”

“Not until you tell me what’s happening? Where are we? All I remember is jumping out of the ship. How long’s it been?”

“We’ve been on this ship for a couple of days. Asgard is gone. This is what’s left.”

“So this is an escape ship?”

“Yes.”

“Ok, but isn’t an escape ship supposed to be a peaceful place?”

“We are under attack. Thanos.”

“Who?”

“Power hungry crazy guy, says Loki. He’s trying to collect the infinity stones - what I went to find after Ultron. You wouldn’t know this. There are six, you put them all together and you have the most powerful weapon in the world, you don’t need the specifics. All you need to know is Thanos wants them to wipe out half of the world.”

“Ok, so we just have to run away from him. This is a highly advanced spaceship. Shouldn’t it have warp capabilities?”

Thor looks at him like he’s hit his head particularly hard. “Does it have what?”

“Warp capabilities. You know, Star Trek, speed of light, all that jazz. Get us out of range.”

“No one can move at the speed of light.”

How is it that aliens are real, and have much more developed civilizations than there are on earth, but they don’t have warp? Star Trek was full of lies.

“That’s disappointing.”

“Thanos is already on the ship - why would we want to move out of range?” 

“He’s what?”

“On the ship. He has help, too. A group of emo minions.”

“Ok, Ok. That’s great. Power hungry crazy maniac, already on the ship, exactly what we need. Here’s a quick question- what’s he doing right now?”

“Best case scenario? He’s trying to wipe out half of the people on this ship. Worst case? He’s trying to kill all of the people on this ship and we are all going to die.”

“The we have to get everyone off the ship, any way possible.”

“That’s what’s happening. You get in the escape pod, leave, everything will be fine for you.”

Bruce tries to stop their forward progress, but cannot. He tugs at Thor’s fingers wrapped in a death grip around his wrist, but they don’t budge. “No way.”

Thor blinks at him. “What?”

“I’m not going. I’m going to stay and fight.”

“No, you’re going to go.”

“Oh, have you forgotten that I turn into a giant green rage monster?”

“You’re going to get in the escape pod, Banner. We don’t have time for this.”

(He’s not leaving. No way in hell. He would still be on the crazy alien planet [Sakaar? Robot Palace? It could be anything] if it wasn’t for Thor. Bruce isn’t leaving without him.)

“I will leave when we’re done, and we’ve won, and-“

“We’re not going to win.”

“Not with that attitude. Besides, it doesn’t matter. You need me.”

(Bruce doesn’t know how to get the message across - I’m not leaving without you. )

“You are on this ship because of me, and it is my responsibility to see to the safety of all of the people on this ship.”

They have arrived in front of the escape pods, where Valkryie is ushering people onto ships, ignoring the complete chaos. Thor continues. “He’s cutting through all of my people now.”

“That’s why I have to stay-

“That’s why you have to leave.”

“I’m staying.”

“You’re leaving”

“I’m stay-“

“Can you please have this conversation at a different time?” Valkryie bites. She does not skip a beat between berating them and shoving people into escape pods as fast as she can. “Banner will stay. You are going to need help since Loki is going to vacate premises as soon as the opportunity arises. Good luck, and goodbye.” She does an exaggerated bow. “Your majesty.”

Bruce thinks in another world, he and Valkryie would be friends.

“You know she’s right.”

Thor sighs, then tugs him back the way they came, towards the sounds of chaos and against the current of asgardians. Past the room they came out of, door still ajar. Past the escaping people, who get fewer and fewer with each second.

“Shouldn’t you be fighting?”

“Loki said he would buy me some time to get you.” Thor pulls them into a niche in the wall, very close to the sounds of fighting. “I need you to promise me something.”

“What?” 

“Promise me you will hide until the last possible moment.”

Bruce did not get dragged all over the ship for this. “What- No!”

“Banner. Bruce.” Thor tightens his grip on Bruce’s wrist. “Thanos is here for me, and he is here for Loki. He does not know about you. He does not care about you.”

“Oh.”

“He will tear through us like paper.”

“That’s comforting”

“You need to be our secret. It’s the only way we have any chance. We will need the element of surprise. I would rather you weren’t here, but you insisted.”

“You don’t want the other guy?”

“He cannot beat Thanos. Besides, that’s not all that you are. He’s only a part of you, and I care about you. If you had gotten in the escape pod, you would be away from all of this. You would be safe.”

“But you’re staying.”

“I am probably going to die.” The statement rings with finality.

“If you’re dying, I’ll be here with you.”

“Banner-“

Bruce isn’t about to have this discussion again. “What about the people? Your people.”

In the distance, the asgardians are all in a panic, rushing to the escape pods. Valkryie is regulating them, but even she is losing control.

“We can’t save all of them. But we can give them more time.”

“What about you?”

“Time’s up.”

(How is that possible? They just won. They saved so many people, and they destroyed Hela. And Asgard, but that’s not the point. They won, and now everything hopeful they had created is over.

It’s not fair.)

“I don’t want time to be up.”

“I know. Me either.” Thor glances over his shoulder, quick, to check on the chaos behind them, then brings both of his hands up to the sides of Bruce’s face. “Promise me?”

“Promise.”

Thor kisses him, once, quick. It’s a culmination of everything - Sakaar, Asgard - and it’s definitely goodbye.

This is it. This is all he’s going to get. There could be so much more but instead they’re being attacked in space by a madman with no knowledge of ecology.

(And there were days where he thought the fact that he turned into a giant green thing was weird.)

If Bruce was worried about hulking out earlier, he isn’t now. There is no comparison to the preemptive anger and loss he’s feeling.

“Please don’t die. If you die I’m going to be so mad at you.” Bruce breathes. His head is spinning like an electron shell, wild and out of control. 

Thor smiles at his weakly, and strokes his thumb under Bruce’s eye. “I can’t make any promises.”

“I have to promise but you can’t make any? Come on.”

Bruce’s head is still spinning when Thor kisses him again, probably to try to slow his brain down. 

(His neurons are firing like crazy, new data everywhere. His brain isn’t going to slow down for ages.)

“I can’t promise, but I will try my best.”

“Hey, your best is all you can do, right?”

(Why are these the words coming out of his mouth? He has seven PhD’s. This is all he can manage?)

They get a one last quiet second, then Thor nods, squeezes his wrist, and heads out into the chaos. In a second, he’s gone, and new feeling of doom floods Bruce’s senses.

All he can do is wait, and hope things turn out well.

Things better turn out well.

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on tumblr: incorrect-thruce


End file.
